Winter Holidays/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim, Moby and a girl are sitting at their desks in a classroom. MOBY: Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Moby does a happy dance in the hallway. TIM: I know. Two whole weeks of vacation. MOBY: Beep! Tim and Moby arrive at their home. TIM: Look, a letter. Tim reads from the typed letter on a table. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, why do we have vacation in the winter? From, Seth. Well, um, the winter holidays aren't just an excuse for kids to sit around playing video games. Tim is holding a video game controller, then tosses it to the side. TIM: A bunch of holidays are celebrated during December. Here are some of them. On December 25th, Christians celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. In the Christian faith, Jesus is the son of God. Christians believe he was born about 2,000 years ago to redeem mankind and give eternal life. An animation shows Jesus holding a cross while sitting on the right-hand side of God. A dove flies above them. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, no one knows if this Jesus was actually born on December 25th, but that's the date that people have agreed on since about 400 C.E. 1.8 billion people worldwide celebrate Christmas. There are about as many different ways of celebrating as there are people who celebrate it. A world map shows the areas where people celebrate Christmas, marked by stars. TIM: For some people, Christmas is a deeply religious holiday. An image shows people gathering outside of a church. There is a nativity scene arranged in the yard. TIM: But others consider it a non-religious winter celebration. In fact, some people believe Christmas was adapted from the pagan festival of Yule. Yule takes place on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. An image shows a young girl looking out the window at an evening sky. TIM: In the Northern Hemisphere, this falls between December 20th and December 23rd. So, right before Christmas! An image shows a December calendar with the 20th-23rd marked for the winter solstice. The 25th is marked with a Christmas tree. TIM: Yule and Christmas share many of the same traditions—Santa Claus, lighting a tree, decorating with holly and mistletoe, burning a Yule log, and even giving gifts. Images show the traditions Tim describes. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yeah, Hanukkah usually falls in December, too. The Jewish holiday lasts eight days, and begins on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev. The Jewish calendar is based on a combined lunar-solar system. So Hanukkah's dates on our calendar change from year to year. A December calendar shows the 18th-25th highlighted and marked with menorahs. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Hanukkah celebrates the re-consecration of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, a long time ago, a Syrian king called Antiochus outlawed the Jewish religion. He had soldiers trash their Holy Temple in Jerusalem. An animation shows Antiochus in front of the Jewish Holy Temple. A group of soldiers topple the Star of David at the top of the temple and graffiti the outside of the building. TIM: A small group of Jewish rebels, called the Maccabees, fought off Antiochus' soldiers. Then, they rebuilt the temple. The animation shows the Maccabees facing off with Antiochus. Antiochus crumbles like a broken statue and crowds restore the temple. MOBY: Beep? TIM: They were happy, sure, but there was a problem. According to Jewish law, the temple's holy lamp had to stay constantly lit. The Maccabees found only enough oil to keep it burning for one night. An animation shows a Maccabee pouring oil into the lamp. There is only one drop of oil left. TIM: But somehow that little bit of oil burned for eight nights. That gave the Maccabees enough time to find more oil and keep the flame lit. An image shows the temple at night. Light glows from inside. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Um, that's the point of the story; it was a miracle. During the eight nights of Hanukkah, Jews light candles on a special kind of menorah, or lamp. It's called a hannukiah. They say prayers in remembrance of the temple miracle long ago. An animation shows the candles being lit on the hannukiah. TIM: In America, gift giving is also a part of the holiday. MOBY: Beep? TIM: No, Kwanzaa isn't a religious holiday. It's a celebration of the history, culture, and traditions of African Americans. An image shows two African-American parents with their son and daughter. TIM: A professor of Africana studies named Dr. Ron Karenga founded Kwanzaa in 1966. An image shows Dr. Ron Karenga. TIM: Karenga imagined Kwanzaa as a Pan-African holiday—one that would bring together African Americans of all different backgrounds. A map shows all of the countries in Africa. TIM: The name comes from a Swahili phrase, "matunda ya kwanza". It means "first fruits". An image shows an apple tree. TIM: Dr. Karenga wanted to remind African Americans of the African harvest festivals. They were a time to reflect on the year and its accomplishments. An image shows several items on a table that are associated with Kwanzaa, such as colored candles, books, fruit and vegetables, and toys. TIM: Originally, Kwanzaa was supposed to give African Americans an alternative to Christmas. But it grew into a holiday that many people celebrate in addition to Christmas. An animation shows a family lighting one of the Kwanzaa candles. TIM: Kwanzaa lasts seven days, from December 26th to January 1st. Families light seven candles that correspond to the seven principles of the holiday: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. An animation shows seven candles being lit. There are three red candles, three green ones, and one taller black candle in the center. Symbols for the seven principles appear on the candles. TIM: Yup, a lot of these holidays include similar rituals. For all of them, families and friends come together to keep the traditions alive and well. It's especially nice to set aside time to celebrate during the darkest days of winter. An animation shows a menorah, Christmas tree, Kwanzaa candles, and silhouettes of people holding hands. TIM: Course, we can't be celebrating the whole time. Moby is playing a video game. TIM: Hey, Moby, isn't there a two-player mode? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts